Dreams and broken hearts
by Music of the wind
Summary: A follow up on love and regret Zoey and Chase are married and our having a baby. Everything seems perfect until a peice of the puzzle and their dreams fall apart
1. prefect dreams come true

Chase kissed Zoey lightly and said "Our baby is going to be the luckiest kid in the world

**Perfect dream come true**

Chase kissed Zoey lightly and said "Our baby is going to be the luckiest kid in the world. You are going to be a great mother. Trust me Zoe you and I will be great parents."

Zoey smiled and said "last year you were afraid to become a father. What changed your mind? I didn't push too hard for it did I."

Chase said "you didn't Zoe right then I felt like it some ways I was still a child in some ways. We're ready now I can feel it."

Then Nicole came over to the house and said "Zoey James and I are moving away. The house is just too small for five children. We leave at the end of the month. James just thought I should tell you now before I forgot. I'm going to miss you so much it kills me to think about it."

Zoey hugged her friend and said "you'll write to me every day. It'll be just like when you would call me over the summer. Chase and I have news to I'm pregnant! The baby will be born on the exact same day Chase and I got married three years ago. This is the best thing I could ever hope for. This is a perfect dream come true. The only sad thing is that you and James won't be able to see the baby."

Nicole said "great I'm going to be an aunt and I won't get to see the kid."

Zoey hugged her friend and said "I'll send you tons of pictures. Just tell me the address when you can."

Nicole was about to say that she knew the address now when she felt a sharp pain in her bladder and her back.

She struggled to keep the tears from forming in her eyes. Then she said "Zoe I think the baby is coming. James went out to the movies with Logan and Michael. I don't when they're supposed to get back. I need him Zoey –oh god this hurts! I've been through this four times already and it's not getting easier."

Zoey said "Nicole just start your breathing and relax. I'll call the guys and have them meet us at the hospital. Chase and I need to get you there now so we can't wait for James I'm sorry. Chase drive as fast as you can! We need to get Nicole to the hospital her baby is coming!"

Chase dropped what he was doing and said "Lets go Zoey this baby is not going to hold for us. Have you called James yet? It wouldn't be right for him not to see his own baby being born."

Zoey said "I was a bit busy trying to get Nicole to relax so she wouldn't lose the baby. Now just drive please!"

Chase drove to the emergency room at the hospital and had Nicole admitted right away. James, Michael, Quinn, Lola and Logan showed up fifteen minutes later. James asked where Nicole was. Then he heard her screaming he thanked the nurse and ran into the room.

James held Nicole's hand and whispered "come on baby push. Just one more and she's out. I'm so proud of you. You did it by yourself without my coaching this time."

The nurse said "I'll go get her cleaned up you just rest ok Nicole."

Nicole kissed James and leaned up against the pillows. James was so happy but he couldn't help but notice that she seemed more tired then she had been after the birth of their last four children.

The nurse came back in with the baby and placed her in James lap. James looked at Nicole who had her eyes closed but was still awake. He tapped her arm and kissed her cheek. She opened her eyes and smiled at their new daughter.

The nurse said "all she needs now is a name. Then I'll leave you guys alone."

Nicole said "I like the name Marissa what do you think James?"

James said "Marissa Marie Garret. I love it! Marie was my mother's name Nicole and since she isn't here with us anymore I want our last child to have some ties to her."

Nicole said "James that's more than ok. I love that name."

The nurse wrote the name on the birth certificate and left the room. Then she walked out of the room. Nicole closed her eyes again. She sounded like she was short of breath when she said "James who's taking care of the kids?"

James was really nervous now. He said "Nicole honey are you alright? Dustin is watching the kids. Don't close your eyes please. I want you to look at Marissa."

Nicole said "go get Zoey please I want to say goodbye. I love you James take care of the kids for me."

James got Zoey but when he came back into the room a nurse pushed him out again. He heard someone yelling clear. Zoey started to cry into James's shoulder. James just stood there stunned by panic.

A doctor set a hand on James's shoulder. The doctor said "miss if you could let me have a moment alone with Mr. Garret."

Zoey sniffed and went out into the waiting room. Once she left the doctor said "Mr. Garret Nicole wasn't strong enough to live through the birth of her fifth child. I'm sorry but we lost her."

James felt his heart stop. He didn't want to hear it. Nicole couldn't have died! She was strong and could face anything. He couldn't believe that his last words to her were don't close your eyes. The doctor walked away leaving James to face his grief on his own.

A nurse brought Marissa to him. When James held her she began to cry. He rocked her and wiped her tears from her eyes. He whispered "I know you miss your mommy. I'll take care of you don't worry. You are a miracle Marissa I love you so much. You look just like your mom."

Meanwhile Zoey told Chase and the others what had happened. Chase immediately pulled Zoey close he didn't want to let go. Logan saw Quinn try to suppress a sob with her hand. Michael motioned for him to hug her and provide comfort. Lola buried her face in Michael's arm. Tears were flooding her face.

Zoey finally spoke but her voice was chocked with tears. She said "this morning everything was perfect. My dreams had finally come true. Now I just lost my best friend! I just can't stand it Chase I just can't."

Logan was hugging Quinn who had given up on holding her emotions back. He said "guys we can't cry like this in front of James. He's going to be raising five children on his own. None of them are going to be able to understand why their mom isn't tucking them in at night. We need to pull ourselves together for him and for Nicole. She wouldn't want us to be like this. She would want us to remember the good times we shared with her before tonight."

Then James came into the room tears pouring down his cheeks. Zoey got up and hugged him. He said "Zoey can you please take Marissa for a while. She just looks too much like Nicole. I really hate to ask you to do this. Especially when you are going top be having a baby yourself soon. I remember when Nicole first found out she screamed so loud I could hear her outside. She was so excited and happy for you. Her dream was for you both to have the babies at the same time. I guess there is really no point in us moving into a bigger house because with just me and the kids we won't need as much room. Oh god the kids. The last thing Nicole ever said to me was take care of the kids for her! I forgot about the kids! I can't do this on my own I just can't! How am I going to tell Laura, Becky, Lisa, and Ann that their mom isn't coming home? They're still so young. They are too young to have to be told that their mom is dead!"

Zoey said "James she wouldn't want us to be sad. Nicole would want us to be happy for the birth of your child and remember her as she was. Trust me James I know this isn't easy but you need to focus on your life."

Lola said "Zoey can things ever be like they were before? Can our dreams ever truly come true now that Nicole is dead?"

Zoey said "Lola be sensitive James just had to deal with her being dead. He's raising five children by himself now. He will never truly be alone because we will help him through this. If he needs us he just needs to pick up the phone."

Chase said "James tough break for you. I mean losing your wife on the day your child is born. That has to hurt man. Zoey and I will always be here for you. We can watch the kids for you. Just for a month or until you're ready to take them back."

Zoey agreed with Chase but James said "Nicole wanted me to take care of the kids. I can't let her down. I've done that enough. However I would really be grateful if you would watch the baby for me."

Chase agreed and said "sure we'll take care of the baby. I need the practice anyway. I still want all of our dreams to come true even though all of us have lost a friend."

Michael said "Chase things aren't going to be easy. James loved Nicole so much that his daughter who looks like her he can't look at her."

Zoey defended Chase and said "Michael I think Chase knows that. He means that we shouldn't give up on live. We need to keep living keep breathing and most importantly keep smiling."

Michael turned to James and asked "who is taking the baby? Zoey is due to have her baby in two days so why don't I take her. Lola is always saying that she wants a baby in the house. However Lola isn't strong enough to have a baby of her own. You live across the street from us so you would be able to see her every day."

James didn't say anything he just handed Marissa to Michael after giving her a little kiss.

Lola lifted her head and said "James don't do this to Nicole. She knew she probably wouldn't make it so she asked you to keep the kids safe. How do you think she'd feel if she saw you agree to let someone else take care of her last child?"

Michael put his hand gently over Lola's mouth to shut her up. He knew that James didn't need to hear this right now. Not when his prefect dream had just come crashing down. It seemed like everyone but Lola understood that a piece of their own dreams had been broken to.

Chase said "James stay at our place tonight bring the kids to. It won't be any trouble at all. I love your kids. Becky is just like Nicole scared smart and has a lot of attitude."

Zoey said "Chase I'm going to be having a baby in two days. I can't have someone in the house that's depressed. That will raise my stress levels and I'll lose the baby. We already had that happen once."

**Chase had been in the bathroom when he heard Zoey come in to the house. She ran into the bedroom and buried her face in her pillow. Chase heard the heart wrenching sobs and ran into the room with out pulling up his pants. He asked "Zoey what happened? I thought you were getting a sonogram of the baby."**

**Zoey sobbed "remember when I found out I was expecting the doctors told me to relax. There's a woman at work who is constantly depressed her stress levels raised mine I lost the baby!"**

**Chase said "Zoey we'll try again but stay away from people who are depressed. I don't care if they are our friends or not."**(End Flash back)

Chase couldn't believe that he had said those things and he didn't need Zoey reminding him when James and his family needed him the most.

Chase said "Zoe the girls and James are coming to stay with us. They need us what kind of friends are we if we turn the other cheek."

Zoey said "Chase your right. I shouldn't turn James and his girls away because I'm pregnant. Nicole did have me be the god mother so I guess I should help take care of the children."


	2. Keeping promises ins't easy

Keeping promises isn't easy

**Keeping promises isn't easy**

Zoey was sitting next to Chase while James's kids played on the floor. Becky was the oldest and behaved just like her mother. Lisa was the middle child and was quiet most of the time. Laura was Zoey's favorite of all the children. She was smart, funny, and independent even thought she was the third youngest. Chase favored Ann. Even though she was only three she was the only girl that didn't need a nightlight.

James and his daughters had been there for one day. Zoey was already worried about how her empathy towards people who were depressed would affect the baby. She kept herself together by holding Marissa was a very happy baby considering the world she was brought into. It was late in the evening and it was time for Ann to take a bath and for Marissa to be but to bed.

Zoey said "Chase I'll give Ann a bath can you put the baby to bed please."

Chase said "alright Zoe but if she needs her diaper changed your doing it."

Zoey laughed and said "if you plan on being a father in less than 24 hours you are going to change her diaper. I think you need practice. No you're not allowed to ask James to change it. He needs a break we will handle everything until he's back on his feet."

James said "Zoey I feel guilty that you are taking care of my children. You and Chase have so much to do to get ready for your own baby. I should at least put my baby to bed."

Zoey said "alright but Chase has to help. Here she is James your beautiful little one. Nicole would be proud of you."

James said "why would she be proud of me? I'm mooching off my friends. She wanted me to raise the kids on my own. The girls and I will only stay for one more day. Then I will do what Nicole asked me before she died."

Zoey lightly kissed James on the cheek and said "just go put your baby to sleep. I'll give Ann a bath."

Meanwhile Lola was sitting on the couch in tears. She had just asked Michael again for sex and he said no. Michael always said no when ever Lola asked because a doctor told him that she wouldn't live through labor.

Michael said "Lola baby I just don't want to lose you. I love you more then my life. I'm afraid that if we try to have a baby it might kill you. I want you to promise me that you won't ask me for sex again."

Lola sniffed "Michael I don't know if I can stop asking. I just want to hold a baby in my arms just once. Do you want to know why I didn't want Marissa staying with us? I was jealous and angry. Nicole was a big flirt and she got everything she wanted! I was true to you and I have nothing to show for it."

Michael said "if you don't ask me for two months then we can adopt a child. Now let's see you smile again. That's much better Zoey and Chase invited everyone to go out for dinner that should help take your mind off things."

Lola said "I'm not going! I can't look at Zoey and not hate her for having the blessing that I want. She's been blessed with the gift to have a child. If you want me to stop asking you for two months then I need to stay away from Zoey."

Michael said "Lola you're being immature come for dinner and forget about babies. It's not like you to focus on one thing and forget the rest of your life.

Lola said "alright I'll go but don't expect me to have an easy time keeping this promise Michael. This is going to be the hardest thing you've ever asked me to do. You're so lucky that I love you or I wouldn't be willing to do this."

Michael kissed her gently and said "that's my little Lola now get changed and meet me in the car."

Lola changed out of her sweats and sweatshirt and put on a summer dress and heels. Then she grabbed her purse and walked out to the car. When they got to the restaurant Chase was making Zoey promise to do something that wouldn't be easy for her.

Chase said "Zoe I just want you to help James get a girlfriend. Face it he can't raise those kids on his own. He doesn't even know how to change a diaper. His girls need a mother Laura as independent as she is needs a mom."

Zoey said I really don't think I can do this. Its wrong Chase he's not ready to date again we need to respect that. I have morals even if you don't and I'm not helping you."

Lola and Michael had just sat down when Zoey screamed and clutched Chase's hand. Everyone looked at her concerned about her sudden out burst of pain.

Chase said "Zoey I think we need to get you to the doctor now!"

Zoey squeezed Chase's hand again and said "Chase the baby's coming! I knew we shouldn't have gone out tonight."

Chase said "Zoe you're going to be ok. Just promise me that you won't go any where. If I lost you I don't know what I'd do. I'll be in the room right beside you and so will Michael. We won't leave no matter what happens."

Michael took Zoey's hand and said "I know you're scared because it's your first time. You can trust me and Chase that you'll be alright because you're a brave strong girl."

Zoey started to cry because she was frightened and in pain. Chase held her and motioned for Michael to help carry her to the car. Zoey wanted Chase to sit with her but when Michael started driving he drove too fast and she got sick. Chase insisted that he would drive. That left Michael sitting next to Zoey trying to get her to breathe normally and stop hyperventilating.

When they got to the hospital Chase got out of the car and tried to carry Zoey inside without getting her hair in her own vomit that was all over his shirt.

Zoey said "Chase It's not going to wait for you! Don't worry about my hair it'll wash out. However if this kid hits the ground because you were being too careful I'll kill you!"

Chase gave up and handed Zoey to Michael who carried her inside quickly. A nurse got her into an open room. Then she asked Chase to fill out some forms. Zoey was in a large amount of pain but she was trying to keep a smile on her face.

One hour later a nurse came into the hall and said "Mr. Matthews she's under a lot of stress. Is there anyone here who can get her to relax?"

Chase said "The one person who can refuses to go in because she can't have a baby of her own. Let me talk to her I'll get her to calm down."

Chase went into the room that Zoey was in. Zoey's face was coated with sweat but at least now her breathing was normal. Chase held her hand as soon as she felt his touch she relaxed.

Chase asked "are you alright Zoe? I want you to close your eyes. Picture something or someone that makes you feel comfortable. I promise Zoey that Michael and I won't leave."

Zoey said "Chase I did what you said I think I saw Nicole. Do you still have that picture of all of us at the Christmas party? I think that thinking about her might make it easier."

Chase said "that picture is in the car Zoe. I'll send Logan out to get it. If he can't find it I have a wallet sized one in my pocket of just you and her."

Zoey said "that might actually help me more. I really miss her Chase. I wish that she was standing here beside me."

Chase said "Zoe she is right beside you. As long as you remember her she will always be right inside your heart."

Zoey said "Chase shut up and just hold my hand. I'm starting to have contractions again. The nurse said that they'd stopped because I was panicking. Now I'm completely relaxed and know that I can bring my first child into the world."

Chase said "that's great Zoe. I'll be right back I just need to get Michael ok."

Zoey said "Chase get a nurse to please! Hurry it's not going to wait for you!"

Chase found a nurse and told her that Zoey's baby was coming. Then he found Michael and told him that Zoey needed him. Michael started to get up and follow Chase but Lola pulled him back into the chair.

Michael said "Lola I promised Zoey that I'd be right beside her the whole time. I should have been in there earlier. This is really stupid of you to do Lola. You were never so selfish at PCA! If you were really her friend you would let me go in there."

By the time Michael ran into the room Zoey was holding two beautiful babies in her arms. Tears filled Zoey's eyes and Chase glared at him.

Chase said "here Zoe just let me take Katie from you. Michael you said you'd be here. Lucky for you I was able to stay. I'm not taking to you Michael until you learn the meaning of your word!"

Zoey was holding their other daughter Nicole. She held her close to her heart and whispered "hush my little one. Chase you woke Nicole. You and Michael need to stop fighting. I hate it when my friends fight. I need you Chase. How can you support me if you and Michael are fighting?"

Michael said "Zoey I messed up. I should have been here Chase is right. I will make it up to you. Chase I'll drive back to the apartment and get you a clean shirt. Zoey would you like anything?"

Zoey said "Michael you don't owe me anything. Just hurry and get Chase a clean shirt the smell of my own vomit is making me sick."

Michael ran to the apartment and grabbed Chase a clean shirt. Then he went into a drug store and bought Zoey a large bundle of yellow roses and a card that said _"welcome little strangers from heaven above you have been given to someone to love."_

When he got back to the hospital he found Lola sitting in the room with Zoey. She seemed happy until Zoey handed her Nicole to her for a minute so she could take Katie from Chase.

Lola snapped "how could you do this to me! I thought you were my friend Zoey but then you get something I want and can't have ever and you dangle it in front of me! Michael I'm taking a bus home I can't stand to be around you guys right now!"

Michael said "hey Lola this isn't just about the baby is it? I think you miss Nicole a lot more then the rest of us. I also can tell that you're scared because you know that the same thing could happen to you if you ever decide to have a baby. I'm here for you Lola and I always will be here for you."

Lola said "this is tough for me. Maybe I can go a month with out asking for sex but not two months. I feel like I caused you to break your promise to Zoey. When Nicole was still alive keeping my word was easy. Now when I feel lost I only have you, Chase, and Zoey to grab a hold of when I feel scared. Nicole was my strong hold my rock. She told me it didn't matter if I could have a baby or not because she would always have my back."

Zoey said "Lola you should have figured out that you have more friends you will always have your back. I know this isn't easy but things will go back to normal."

Chase said "Lola Zoey and I work late. We were hoping that we'd be able to find a baby sitter. Zoey however doesn't want to leave her babies with a strange woman. You are like family so I was wondering if you wanted to baby sit for us."

Lola said "That would really mean a lot to me. I'm sorry for the way I acted Zoe. I would be glad to baby sit anytime you need me."

Michael said "that's much better Lola now you won't be so obsessed with having a baby."

Zoey whispered "I think that was the idea Michael. Lola please hold Katie for me. I want to hold Nicole for awhile."

Lola took Katie from Zoey and smiled at her friend. Zoey laughed and hugged Chase who didn't want to put Nicole in her arms."

Chase said "when you and I were going to school together I never dreamed that we'd be living together. Now things are almost perfect I love you Zoey. Just promise me something. Promise that you and I will always be together."

Zoey sighed and said "Chase people change. I can't promise that we'll always be together but what I can promise is that I will always love you."

Chase said "I can deal with that. When do the doctors think that you can home?"

Zoey said "the nurse said I can go home in three weeks. They just want to make sure that the babies are healthy."

Lola said "you have such sweet kids. Nicole has your eyes Zoe but she has Chase's smile."

Michael laughed and said "Katie is going to be just like her father. I can feel it plus I see just a little of bush hair growing in already."

Lola smiled at Zoey and said "Nicole would be proud of you Zoe. You're going to be a great mother. Chase needs a little work in the father department but you'll help him out."

Chase said "put a sock in it Lola. Unlike James I know how to change a diaper. I know that Zoey and I will raise great kids."

Michael laughed and said "Lola and I should head home and let Zoey rest. Good luck Chase on trying to prove to Lola that you can be a great father."

Chase watched Lola and Michael leave with their arms around each other. He turned to Zoey and smiled at her when he realized that she'd fallen asleep. He carefully took both of his children in his arms and kissed them on the cheeks.

Then a nurse came in and said "Mr. Matthews I need to take the babies to the nursery. You can come see your wife in the morning. She needs to get some sleep we were not planning on her having twins. Katie was a surprise and you are very lucky to have her."

Chase asked "how do you know which one came first?"

The nurse said "Just a lucky guess. That and she almost hit the floor when I was wiping Nicole off."

Chase said "we'll I should be going home and let you get back to work."

Then the nurse said "no stay for a while help me pick out cribs for your kids. I wish my husband was this devoted to me when I was having my babies."

Chase was confused but he said "alright where's the nursery."

The nurse led Chase into a room wall to wall with cribs. Chase put Nicole in one of the cribs and the nurse put Katie in the other one. After the nurse left he smiled at his children. He had to prove to Michael that he could be a good father. Katie gazed up at him with loving eyes. And Nicole smiled a little baby smile. Chase had never been happier he kissed his babies goodnight. Then he left the nursery so his babies and his wife could get some rest.


	3. The bet is made

The bet is made

**The bet is made**

Three weeks later Zoey came home with the babies. Being a parent was not as easy as Chase thought. Katie craved his attention consonantly. Nicole was the quieter baby she was happy as long as she was in Zoey's arms.

One night Zoey and Chase had just put the babies to bed when Michael showed up. Michael said "Chase I'd like to make a bet. I don't think you have what it takes to be the perfect father. I say you can't make it three weeks raising these kids by yourself. If I win then you have to wear Zoey's underwear outside of your own pants for one day."

Chase said "if I win you have to stuff a pillow under your shirt and pretend that you're pregnant for nine months. Do we have a bet Michael or should I start calling you chicken."

Michael said "we're on fuzzy head! Be prepared to wear Zoey's underwear. I'm not going to lose. I just hope that Lola has a sense of humor. Even though you and Zoey said that she could baby sit she still wants a baby of her own. That's why I can't lose Chase I won't hurt Lola."

Chase said "what makes you think I won't be a good father. I've grown up a lot since we were at PCA. I'm not like Logan who doesn't know how to comfort his wife. I have a sense of humor, I'm gentle, and I'm patient. I'm just like my father except I won't embarrass my girls."

Michael said "Chase it's not that I think you won't be a good father. I only said that so you would stop being so sure of yourself. Raising babies isn't easy I didn't want you to go into this thinking you'd be perfect right away. Logan is getting better at providing comfort he just needs to learn that a make out session isn't always going to fix it."

Chase said "yeah he's lucky that Quinn's lips haven't shrunk yet. Oh shoot Katie won't go to sleep unless I sing to her. I wrote a new lullaby for our children. I hear her crying if I don't get up there now Zoey will kill me."

Michael said "I'll help you I'm not obsessed with babies but I would like to hold one just once."

Chase said "alright let's get upstairs now. Zoey's already going to get mad that I wasn't upstairs for bedtime."

Chase and Michael got upstairs and found Zoey struggling to feed the babies at the same time. Chase took Katie and gave her a bottle. He sat down in the rocking chair and said "hush Katie you're alright you're alright. Daddy's here Daddy's here."

Zoey smiled at Michael and said "see I told you he would be a great father. I knew he was ready the first day we got married."

Michael laughed to hide the feel of dread that was creeping over him. He knew that Chase was being a prefect father. Zoey and Lola couldn't find out about the bet. Lola would get upset and Zoey would call Chase immature. Michael knew that he had three weeks from today to make Chase look like a bad father so he wouldn't have to pretend to be having a baby.

Michael didn't want to do it but he knew he had to. As soon as Chase went back down stairs Michael woke up Katie and blasted music from his I-pod into the room. This wouldn't have been so bad if Katie wouldn't go back to sleep after she'd been woken up.

Chase heard Katie crying and ran upstairs and sang to his baby girl and rocked her back and forth until she stopped crying. He searched around for the I-pod so he could turn it off but he couldn't find it.

Katie started crying again because the loud music was keeping her awake. Zoey ran upstairs into the babies' room. She picked up Sun Flower and Katie and rocked them in her arms.

She glared at Chase and snapped "turn that music off! I leave the room for five minutes and you turn bed time into a stereo listening session! You know I hate heavy metal music and you blast it when our children are trying to go to sleep. Don't talk to me right now Chase! You are so dumb and irresponsible! You would never have done something like this before! I'm putting the kids to bed now you can just unfold the sofa bed because you're not sleeping with me tonight."

Katie continued to cry her sobs becoming tiny hiccups. Chase wanted to hold Katie and get her to go back to sleep but Zoey gave him a look that signaled don't touch her. Chase sighed and left the room.

When he got down stairs Michael said "what was all the yelling about up there? I heard the baby crying and saw you go upstairs. Then all I heard was a bunch of loud music and Zoey yelling at you to shut it off. That's strike one for you on the father scale Chase. Only two more needed and I'll win and you have to wear Zoey's underwear. That should be really funny to see."

Chase said "Zoey's really mad at me. I have no clue where that music came from. I started to come back downstairs and then heard her crying. I tried to find the I-pod and shut it off but I couldn't find it."

Michael got up and left the house. He had never meant to cause a fight and now Zoey thought Chase was irresponsible. He went home to try to sleep so he could sleep next to his beautiful wife in their empty house with out children.

Lola sighed Michael always got home late from Chase's and Zoey's house. He always came back happy and with a smile on his face. Tonight was different though Michael came home early and he looked like he'd been crying.

She wanted to ask him what was wrong but he said he didn't want to talk about it. She knew better then to push him to talk about his feelings when he was in a bad mood. She hugged him and waited for him to say something.

When he did speak he said "Chase and Zoey got into a really stupid fight. I just couldn't deal with it so I left. I just don't understand why they fight so much. They were best friends in high school and now they're ripping out each other's throats. I wish they would stop it. They loved each other so much before Nicole past away. I hope that soon everyone and everything will be bad to normal."

Lola said "honey these things take time. I'm sure that things are going to be ok. I'm being a baby sitter for the sweetest children in the world. Babies add stress to the relationship. Chase and Zoey are new at the whole parenting thing. They just need their friend s to pull them together again."

Lola and Michael went to sleep dreaming that things went back to normal. However Lola didn't know that things were as far from normal as they would ever be and it was his fault. The next morning Lola got dressed and went to start baby sitting Zoey's children.

When Lola got to the house Zoey had mascara running down her cheeks. Lola hugged Zoey close. She was a little worried to tell the truth. The last time Zoey had cried like this was after Chase had pretended to be dead.

Lola asked "Zoe what happened did Chase hurt you? Where is that lazy pain in the butt I want to kick his ass? He never used to make you cry one of these days I swear he's going to pay for everything he's putting you through right now."

Zoey sniffed and said "I'm alright Lola Chase didn't hurt me. He's just being a little irresponsible last night. I didn't get any sleep because I made him sleep on the sofa bed."

Lola sighed and said "spill now Brooks I need to know what bothering you. I'm your best friend you can tell me anything."

Zoey said "the babies are asleep upstairs. My cell Phone number is taped to the fridge. Chase is on a trip for work so he won't be home tonight. I'm going to be really late so just put them to bed if I'm not home by six. Thanks for taking care of the babies and me. I don't know what I'd do without you."

Lola said "no big deal Zoe. You get to work now I don't want you to be late."

As soon as Zoey left the house as if on cue that babies both started crying. Lola picked up Nicole and Katie and rocked them. They smiled at her and stopped crying. Lola smiled at the beautiful little girls it was moments like this when she realized that she would be a great mother.

Lola sang in a very gentle voice _"come stop you're crying it'll be alright. Just take my hand and hold it tight. I will protect you from all around you. I will be here don't you cry. For ones so small you seem so strong. My arms will hold you keep you safe and warm. This bond between us can't be broken. You'll be in my heart no matter what they say. From this day on now and for ever more you'll be heart in my heart always."_

Katie grabbed Lola's finger and held on. Nicole gurgled in her sleep Lola sighed this was exactly what she wanted when she and Michael adopted their baby girls. Right now Lola was happy watching her nieces sleep.

Lola sat in the rocker holding the babies close to her heart. She loved them both very much. Katie was her favorite though. she didn't take a shine to just anyone. Lola was honored that Katie trusted her enough to fall asleep in her arms. However she needed to use the bathroom. She placed both babies in their cradles and went to use the bathroom.

By the time Zoey came home it was midnight. Lola had to get home and get some sleep so Michael wouldn't worry about her. Zoey said "thank you for baby sitting tonight. I had a late conference call and something came up at the office."

Lola said "it's no problem Zoey your kids are the sweetest angles. As soon as you left they fell asleep in my arms. I've never felt happier then I do right now."

Zoey smiled and went to check on the babies. Then she started to call Chase to tell him she was sorry about last night. She was half way down the stairs when she turned around and went to bed. She was too stressed and tired from work to talk to him tonight.

Meanwhile James was at home tucking his kids into bed. It was hard work being a single parent to one child but being both mother and father to five young children was madness. He knew it probably wasn't a great idea to have left Chase's and Zoey's house right away.

Becky stirred in her sleep and asked "dad where's mom? I need her to tell me my favorite story."

James didn't know what to say. He still hadn't told the kids that their mother was dead. He knew that sooner or later all of them including Marissa would want to know what happened to their mother.

James sighed and said "Becky go wake your sisters please. I think it's time we had a little talk all of us together."

Becky did as she was told and woke up Lisa, Laura, and Ann. She told them to go into her room because dad wanted to talk to them. Then she went and carried Marissa into her room.

When everyone was sitting on Becky's bed James said "your mother passed away three days ago. I didn't want to frighten any of you. Then I realized that the longer I didn't say anything the harder it was going to be to accept."

All of the children began to cry. Even Laura buried her face in her daddy's arm. James hugged them and stroked their hair. Then Ann asked "daddy can we all sleep together tonight?"

James said "yes you can all sleep in my room tonight. I know you're all going to miss your mom very much. Now get into my bed and go to sleep. It's way passed your bedtime's young ladies."

All of the girls jumped into their father's bed and wiggled under the covers. James sat on the end of the bed and gave them all a kiss on the cheek. Then Lisa and Ann asked "dad will you tell us a story about mom? We don't want to forget her and hearing stories will help us remember her."

James sighed and said "the day that you were born Ann was the happiest day of her life. When the nurse put you in her arms she pulled you close and said that you were the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen. I'll tell more of the story tomorrow but I think all of you need to go to sleep. What ever you do don't drop Marissa. I come to bed after all of you are asleep."

Becky took James's hand and said "don't go daddy I'm too scared to go to sleep."

James set his daughter's hand on the blanket and patted it softly. Then he said "scoot over girls."

James climbed into bed with his girls and everyone fell asleep. James couldn't remember a night that he'd slept this well in a long time. It was almost like Nicole was telling him that he was being a good father and she was proud of him.

The next morning when Lola went to work there were no tears. She felt like everything would be alright. Zoey told her that the bottles were warmed up already and that she would be home by nine in the evening. The one thing Zoey didn't talk about was Chase. It seemed like she was forcing the memory of him out of her head. Lola didn't ask though because Katie had started crying again.

Meanwhile Chase was driving home from his business trip. He had missed his family very much. He wanted to talk to Zoey and she wasn't answering her cell phone. Then he realized something. Michael had been upstairs with Chase when he was putting the babies to bed. He also remembered that Michael listened to heavy metal music.

He was very angry at Michael. Chase couldn't believe that his best friend had turned Zoey against him. He called Michael's cell phone and left a voice message. He was so angry that tears followed from his eyes.

When Chase pulled into the driveway Zoey still wasn't home. Lola was surprised to see him. Chase knew he had to tell Lola about the bet. He also realized that once Lola knew about the bet Zoey would find out. If Zoey found out she would be angrier with him then Lola would be Michael.

Lola said "Chase Zoey hasn't been herself. She's been coming home later and later every night. I know you two got into a huge fight. Has she called you to try to apologize?"

Chase knew that it was either tell Lola about the bet now or she would continue to think that he hurt Zoey.

Chase said "Lola it's funny that you ask about the fight. Promise me that you won't get mad at Michael."

Lola said "why would I get mad at Michael? You're the one who started this right. I won't get mad at you either if you admit what happened."

Chase said "I'll tell you but you won't understand. I don't even know why I agreed to this bet in the first place. Michael came over to my house and challenged me that if I couldn't be a perfect father I had to wear Zoey's underwear out of my clothing for one day. I said that if I could he had to pretend to be pregnant for nine months."

Lola started to cry. She couldn't believe that Michael would agree to a bet like that. She also was confused what this bet had to do with Chase and Zoey's fight. Chase tried to hold her but she pushed him away.

Lola snapped "I have to go home and talk to Michael! If what you're telling me is true you and Zoey have a lot to discuss. What does the bet have to do with the fight anyway?"

Chase said "Michael was afraid of losing so he played really loud music when my babies were trying to sleep. This made Zoey think that I was an irresponsible father. I know it sounds like a long shot but it's true. You have to trust me do you really think I'd do some thing to ruin your relationship with Michael. I didn't want to tell you but I couldn't lie to myself anymore."

Chase and Lola were so busy arguing that they didn't see Zoey pull into the driveway. Zoey pulled Chase and Lola apart then looked at each one of them hoping for an answer. Then Katie started crying. Zoey ran into the house and picked up her baby girl in her arms.

Katie still wouldn't stop and she reached her arms towards Chase. Zoey handed her to him and he tickled her tummy and rocked her. Zoey was confused Chase was being a prefect father but before he went out of town he'd been irresponsible more than once.

Chase said "Zoey what happened the few days before I went out of town I'll explain that. It's a long story Michael and I got into a stupid bet. I'm sorry I love you so much. I never wanted to hurt you."

Zoey said "explain now Chase. I want to know why you were so preoccupied with this bet that you didn't tell me sooner."

Chase said "I can't explain right now. I really don't know how to explain this you'd laugh at me. Heck I'm laughing at myself right now."

Zoey turned her back to Chase. Lola gently put her arm around her and rubbed her back. Chase tried to hug her but he couldn't because Katie had fallen asleep against his shoulder. He had missed both her and Nicole very much. When he saw tears in Zoey's eyes he wished that he could have wiped them away with his free hand.

Zoey turned around to face Chase after the tears had stopped falling. She wasn't laughing she was angry with him. Chase handed Lola the baby and asked her to put Katie to bed. He felt the color drain from his face when he realized Zoey wasn't there.

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. In his mind he saw Nicole sitting next to him. Nicole spoke softly and told him how to tell Zoey what happened. When he opened his eyes his vision was bleared with tears.

In his head he had heard Nicole tell him it's time to face the music. You go ahead I'll be right behind you. Chase stood up and went to talk to Zoey after wiping away his tears. He found her sitting in the living room looking at their old PCA year book.

He said "Zoey I want to explain myself to you. Michael set up the bet to make me look like a bad father. I only agreed to it to prove to myself that I was a great father. I love you and our children dearly. I never meant to hurt you Zoe and I hope you can find it in that giant heart of yours to forgive and still love me."

Zoey sighed and said "I love you but I need to think about whether or not I should forgive you. Chase I don't think you understand how poisonous taking this bet was to our relationship. I'll forgive you just not right away. I need to see that I can trust you never to do this again."

Chase said "I will never do something that dumb again. I swear to you on my grandmother's grave. The next time I feel like I'm not good enough I'll talk to you. I just can't believe that Michael would pull a stunt like that. He almost ruined a great relationship for me. He's my best friend I thought this was just a harmless bet."

Zoey said "hang on I don't even know what the bet was. Lola didn't really explain when I asked her. I don't really care what the bet was. I just need to know what the stakes were. If you thought it was just a harmless bet the stakes couldn't have been that bad."

Chase stuttered "Zoey the stakes were if I won Michael had to pretend to be pregnant for nine months."

Zoey said "how can that be harmless? That would drive Lola nuts! You and Michael both know how badly she wants a baby. If she found out it was part of a bet god only knows what she would do! What would've happened if you lost the bet? What awful thing would you have had to do?"

Chase said "I would've had to wear your underwear outside of my clothes for one day. I know that's nothing compared to having to pretend to be pregnant but I was just looking for something that would make Michael squirm."

Zoey yelled "No wonder Michael tried to make sure you lost! If he pretended to be pregnant Lola would be heart broken. I'm sorry but Michael is the only one out of the two of you that has a good reason for his behavior."

Chase watched with tears boiling over in his eyes as Zoey and Lola walk away. He knew that this bet was a bad idea from the start and would do anything to take it back. He walked back into the house and into his daughters' room. He picked Katie up and held her in his arms. Katie felt her father's touch and went back into a deep sleep. Chase sat in the rocker and held her until dawn came.


	4. the truth won't always set you free

The truth won't always set you free

**The truth won't always set you free**

Chase woke up at sunrise and found he was sitting in the rocker holding Katie. He hoped Zoey wasn't as angry at him. He hated fighting with her it made him tense and confused. He placed Katie in her cradle and went into the kitchen to fix breakfast. His mom had taught him that the truth would always set you free. Right now Zoey was really hurt and wouldn't listen to the truth.

Meanwhile Logan was sitting next to Quinn on the love seat. Quinn had just asked him about getting married. Logan didn't want to hold Quinn back. He didn't think he was good enough for her. They had been living together for six years and Logan still thought that she would find someone better.

Quinn kept asking him to be honest with her. The problem was every time he would try he would become afraid of breaking her heart. He felt Quinn reach out and grab his hand the same way she always did. Tears were running down her cheeks smearing her makeup.

Logan pulled his hand away and said "Quinn I can't lie to you any more. I love you but I'm just not right for you. I'm not good enough to be your husband we need to stop kidding ourselves. I'm sorry I made you wait so long Quinn. You are my angel but I shouldn't hold you back."

Quinn's eye's glowed red. Tears were still running down her cheeks when she stared at Logan. She hadn't felt this much pain in a very long time. She buried her face in her hands and wept. When she picked her head up Logan was gone.

Logan called Chase and snapped "you swore that the truth would set me free! I just told Quinn why I didn't want to marry her. She freaked out because I said that she was too good for me."

Chase said "I used to think that was possible but now Zoey hates me just because I admitted to doing something stupid. I guess that rule only applies to parents and teachers. I'm sorry but I think it's going to take a lot more to get Zoey and Quinn to calm down."

Logan asked "Chase could you please explain what you mean? I love Quinn more than anything. I'm willing to buy her anything in the world."

Chase sighed "no Logan what I mean is take her to dinner. Prove to her that she is your angel. I'll have to wait on Zoey hand and foot until she realizes that I really regret messing up. I have to take her breakfast in bed before her eggs burn. Good bye Logan and good luck with Quinn."

Chase took Zoey her breakfast ands then rubbed her feet while she ate. Zoey wouldn't even look at Chase. She ate breakfast and pushed the tray towards him. Then she yanked her feet out of his hands.

Chase said "Zoey if you want me to stop waiting on you please talk to me. I know that I messed up and I feel really guilty. I haven't done anything like this before so why is it so hard to believe that I won't do it again? I love you and I will do anything to prove it. Just tell me want you want and you got it."

Zoey's eyes softened when she turned to Chase. Tears rolled down her cheeks but she hugged him and kissed his lips hard. After she let go she said "Chase you are the most thoughtful guy I've ever met. I love you please stop degrading yourself by waiting on me. What you did was wrong but I thought a lot about what you said last night. You are right it was just a harmless bet in your eyes. What separates you from Michael is the fact that you tried to apologize. I just talked to Lola when she confronted him about the bet he refused to talk to her."

Chase was stunned he thought that Michael would talk to Lola once he knew that she knew about the bet. He pulled Zoey close and for the first time ever he doubted that Michael was a real friend. Zoey sighed she knew what Chase was thinking. However she also knew that he and Michael couldn't be fighting if things would ever get back to normal.

Meanwhile James was sitting on the end of his daughter's bed. Becky was having nightmares about her mother again. It had gotten to the point that when it was time for bed James had to sit with her all night long.

Tears formed in his eyes when ever James heard his daughter sobbing in her sleep. He tried to keep a smile on his face around his girls. It hurt so much knowing that she was never coming home Nicole had been his life and his heart.

Sometimes Becky and Lisa would insist that their mom was coming home. Those days were the hardest because when Laura would start crying Becky would tell her that mom wasn't dead and would come home in the morning. James knew what he had to do. The next time Becky told her sisters that their mom was coming home. He would have to tell them that their mom was in heaven.

That would be the hardest thing he would ever have to do. He held his daughter's hand and kissed her cheek. He knew exactly how she felt. He felt the same way when the doctors told him that Nicole was dead. He felt that if he ignored the truth that it would all go away. Now that he was facing the truth head on he wished that he hadn't tried to hide it in the first place.

He heard Lisa crying for mommy. He picked her up and spun her around then he said "Lisa honey mommy has gone to heaven. I don't know if you're old enough to understand this. What that means is she's never coming home. Always remember that she loved you very much. It's ok to miss her and to cry sometimes but she would want you to be happy. She will always watch over you just like. Trust me that she will always protect you even if you can't see her."

Lisa threw her arms around him and cried. James kissed her forehead and told her to lie down. After Lisa lay down James pulled a diary out of the closet. Lisa asked "daddy what is that weird book? Will you read some of it to me until I fall asleep?"

James said "Lisa this was your mother's diary. She started writing in it after you were born. I plan on reading it to you tonight that's why I pulled it out of the closet. The only conditions are that you have to go to sleep after I read four pages and that you have to remember that the truth doesn't always set you free. Your mother wrote from her heart so some of these things that she wrote might be too hard for you to understand. I need you to know that everything she wrote was true tom her thoughts and feeling at that time."

Lisa agreed to the conditions. James read four pages and Lisa fell asleep right away. James gave Lisa a kiss a felt that for the first time since Nicole past away that he was a great father. He wished that Nicole could've seen how he handled that. He knew that she would have been proud of him. He left the room and crawled into bed thinking that things were getting back to normal.

Mean while Lola was trying to get Michael to admit about the bet. Michael was avoiding her. That was what hurt the most the fact that they were married and he hid things from her. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she watched Michael leave to go over to Chase's for the fifth time that day. She wasn't angry about the bet anymore. She was just beginning to lose hope that her husband really loved her.

She called the one person that she knew wouldn't tell her that she was being too hard on Michael. Dana answered her phone right away. She listened to Lola and said that what Michael had done was wrong but she should still forgive him.

Lola snapped "Dana what part of he is lying to me don't you understand? I love him that's why I just don't understand what is causing him to do this. I've tried making him sleep on the couch. I've tried the silent treatment but nothing is working. I talked to Zoey but she said to just forgive him already. I love him but I'm just not ready for that. He hurt me and I think he needs to admit it before I forgive him. I hoped that you would agree with me. Well goodbye Dana I'll talk to you later Zoey's counting on me to baby-sit in the morning."

The next day Lola cornered Michael. She pinned him up against the wall and yelled "whose idea was the bet Michael? I can't believe you would agree to something that would hurt me like that. Then when I asked you about it you have the nerve to lie to me."

Michael said "I'm going to tell you exactly what happened. I don't think it will make you any less angry. I came up with the bet. I was willing to do anything it took to win so you wouldn't get hurt. I never meant for you to find out at all. I'm sorry that I was so stupid I love you Lola. Can you forgive me now that you know the truth?"  
Lola wiped the unshed tears from her eyes. Then she threw her arms around Michael and said "in some case the truth won't always set you free. Sometimes you need to not make the mistake in the first place. Of course I love you and I'm willing to forgive you no matter what dumb things you do. As long as you promise never to lie to me again I forgive you."

Meanwhile Logan had taken Quinn out for a nice dinner and was trying to make it up to her. Quinn wasn't falling for it. What Logan didn't understand was that Quinn didn't think that she was good enough for him. That was why Quinn kept asking about the wedding over and over again.

Finally Logan took Quinn's hand and said "Quinn baby what's wrong? I love you so much everything will be fine you'll see. I promise that we will get married in six months."

Quinn said "Logan I love you. I would love that but I want to make sure that it's what you want. I don't want to force you into marriage."

Logan said "Quinn you aren't forcing me into anything. I only said that I didn't want to because I was afraid of holding you back. I love you and want to spend the rest of my life with you. I hope that even though it's been six years you can still feel the same way."

Quinn kissed Logan and hugged him tight. The thought of getting married in six months made her head spin. She was so happy that she started crying tears ran down her cheeks and into Logan's hair.

Logan said "Quinn I know you're happy but people are staring at us. I don't want strangers thinking that my wife is a freak. I don't want my friends thinking that either but that's beside the point. Let's just go home so I don't have to share you."

Quinn sighed she was the happiest girl on earth and she never thought that Logan would be the guy to make her feel that way. She walked home with Logan and spent another evening sitting on the loveseat in his lap.

Later when they were getting ready for bed Logan asked her if she ever considered having a baby. Quinn was speechless just earlier that day getting married had frightened him. Now he was asking her if she wanted to have a baby.

Quinn said "Logan lets wait a year after we get married. A baby is a lot of work trust me I don't think either one of us is ready for that responsibility. I want to make sure that the relationship is strong enough to keep going before we try to raise a child."

Logan said "you're right Quinn. I still need you to take care of me I don't think I could ever take care of a baby. Quinn you always know the right things to say. I think I could learn a thing or two from you. I love you and I always knew that I was meant to be with you. I just didn't know that it was meant to last forever."

Quinn sat down on the bed. Then she kissed Logan again and held him tight. That night Quinn had wonderful dreams that she and Logan were the perfect family. She knew that they would never be as close as Chase and Zoey but they had to start somewhere. The truth was she wanted to be where Chase and Zoey were. They told each other everything and never kept things from each other about how they felt.

Zoey and Chase had just put the babies to bed. Chase picked Zoey up and kissed her. Zoey smiled and laughed so hard that she was gasping for air when he stopped.

Tears welled up in Chase's eyes when ever he thought about his baby girls growing up. Every night he prayed that Katie would still be a daddy's girl when she grew up. Katie's crying shook Chase from his dreams at two in the morning.

He ran into the room picked her up and rocked her. When she had gone back to sleep Chase realized that she had a fever. He carried her into his and Zoey's bedroom. He gently shook Zoey until she woke up.

When Zoey touched Katie's forehead she said "Chase get me a thermometer! She's burning up. I don't know what to do Chase. What kind of mother am I if when my baby gets sick I don't know what to do?"

Chase ran and got a thermometer. Chase held Katie while Zoey read the thermometer. Zoey stifled a scream when she looked at the number. Katie had a fever of a hundred and two. Chase's face went white he held Katie close while Zoey called the doctor.

The doctor told Zoey to take Katie to women and children's hospital. When Chase went to get Katie's coat Nicole started to cry. He politely asked Zoey to go get Nicole.

Zoey called Lola and asked "Lola I know it's late but could you please baby-sit? Katie is sick and we're taking her to the hospital. We don't want to take the chance of Nicole catching it."

Lola said "of course I'll baby-sit. I just hope that Katie will be ok. I'll be right over Zoey just let me wake Michael up."

Zoey grabbed Katie's coat and hat and took her out of the bed room. Tears rolled down her cheeks. Zoey had never been more afraid of anything in her life. She had Chase get a cool compress and put it on Katie's head. She didn't like not knowing what to do. It made her feel helpless and frightened.

Lola knocked on the door and came inside. She hugged Zoey and Chase then she went to check on Nicole. Zoey and Chase drove to the hospital. They arranged for a doctor to see Katie as soon as he was free. When a doctor came to look at Katie Zoey panicked. She didn't want a stranger looking at her baby.

Chase pulled Zoey's hands away from Katie. Then he handed her to the doctor. Since Zoey was a nervous wreck Chase went into the exam room with his daughter. The doctor looked at her and said that Katie had a mild case for strep throat.

Chase left the room and told Zoey. Zoey sighed and said "thank god Chase. I love her and Nicole so much. I don't think I could bear to lose them."

Chase said "Zoe she's not out of the woods yet. Strep throat is not an easy thing to treat in infants. The doctor said that she has to spend the night for observation. If her fervor goes down and everything else is under control then she can come home."

Zoey stared to cry she was worried about her baby. Katie and Nicole meant the world to her. She didn't know what she'd do if she lost them. She stepped outside to let Lola know that Katie would be alright. Chase wanted to follow her and make sure she was ok but Katie would start crying if she woke up in a stranger's arms.

Chase walked into the room that Katie was in. He saw her struggling to breath and that broke his heart. A nurse handed her to him and he held her close. He wanted to protect her from everything. She was his girl when she cried she didn't stop until he picked her up.

Chase stayed in the room until he was sure that Katie was sleeping deeply. When he left Zoey was waiting for him outside. Tears stained her cheeks but she smiled at him. Then she said "Chase we did it. We made it through our first problem as a married couple. I don't know what I would have done without you. Thank you Chase I love so much."

When Zoey and Chase got home Lola said "I have great news! While you were out Quinn called. She and Logan are getting married in six months. I never thought that this day would come. They love each other but Logan never believed that it would last forever."

Zoey said "Nicole was right. Sometimes the truth will set you free but others it forces you up against a wall. I think that these past few weeks we've all learned that true love is about putting yourself out there. Even if you make mistakes the people who really love you will understand."

Lola said "you said that things would go back to normal after awhile. They've just gotten weirder Chase and Michael hate each other. When Nicole was alive that never happened. She always knew the right thing to say. I wish that she was still here Zoe. I miss her so much."

Zoey sighed she knew how Lola felt. Every time she held her baby niece she missed her. Nicole had made things better for her. In fact if it hadn't been for her she might not be with Chase right now. That was why she had named her other baby after her. Nicole had been her best friend and had been a great listener.

That was when Zoey had a great idea. Nicole had loved PCA. She would have wanted her money used to do something great for the school. Zoey hugged Lola and told her the idea. Lola's eyes brightened and she smiled.

Lola said "Zoey that is a wonderful Idea! We just need to talk to James and see if he's ok with it. I hope this is what Nicole would've wanted. I don't want to dishonor her by doing something that she wouldn't want."

The next morning Zoey called James. James listened to the idea and then said "wait Zoey you want me to donate money to PCA? I don't think I understand why please explain Zoe. Nicole intended for me to use that money to send the girls to school there. If I offer that money as a gift I don't have enough to pay for all five of my daughters to go to school there. So unless there is a really good reason that my money should go their as a gift I won't do it. All of the girls going to PCA meant too much to Nicole. I won't break that promise to her."

Zoey said "James I was going to use the money so we could get a dorm named after her. She loved the school so much I think that this what she would want. If you let me have the money I'll help pay for all of your daughters' tuitions. You just have to trust me James. I was one of your first friends at PCA. I was your first girlfriend at PCA. Why can't you just remember that and trust me?"

James said "It's not that I don't trust you. It's just that Nicole made me swear to protect these girls. It's not easy being a single father. Sometimes I miss her so much it hurts. Laura still thinks that Nicole is going to come home. I didn't let the girls go to her funeral because I didn't want them to have to say goodbye. I don't know how Becky would react if she ended up in a dorm named after her mother. I feel that it would do more harm then good. I'm sorry Zoey but I just can't do it."

Zoey wanted to argue but then she heard the sadness in his voice and decided not to. Tears filled Zoey's eyes after she got of the phone. James was so sweet and gentle he didn't deserve the pain that he was going through.

Zoey thought about it for a long time. Then she realized that she was still in love with James. That made Zoey feel worse she was married for crying out loud! She had chosen Chase six years ago out of all the other guys she dated.

Chase heard Zoey crying and ran to her. He picked her up and kissed her. Zoey said "Chase stop it. I just don't feel like it right now. I'm worried about Katie and James is having a rough time. The girls miss their mom so much that they don't sleep at night."

Chase said "Zoey Katie is fine. I talked to the doctor and we can pick her up tomorrow. Her fervor was just a little high this morning. James knows that he can always come to us. I don't want you to worry any more. Just relax and let me handle our nieces they love me I'm sure that I can cheer them up."

Zoey sighed and kissed Chase lightly and asked "can we go see our baby? I think she would feel better if she woke up to her mommy holding her. I just need to find out where Lola is. She should have been here four hours ago. It's not like her to be late she loves the kids. Chase I'm worried I tried calling five times and it says her phone has been disconnected."

Chase said "Zoey relax I'm sure Lola is fine. Remember when she didn't want to do that time capsule project so she said what she was going to put in her grandmother's necklace. That teacher was so gullible that he believed that her fake tears were real."

Zoey called Michael's cell phone and hoped that he could tell her where Lola was. What Zoey didn't know was that Lola had been missing for twenty four hours. Michael had called the police. Michael answered the phone and asked "Zoey have you seen Lola? She didn't come home last night. I'm worried about her I know she had to baby sit for you but she said she be home after you guys got back."

Zoey's heart jumped into her heart. She had hoped that Lola had just been sleeping and she'd be at work in a few hours. She asked "Michael has she called you to let you know where she is? The reason that I'm asking is I've tried calling her cell phone four times. It says that her phone has been disconnected. I'm scared Michael it's not like her to be late and not call."

Michael said "I've called the police and they said that they'd let me know if they found anything. Zoey worrying about her isn't going to do anything. I want you to go to work as normal. I'll baby-sit is Katie still in the hospital or am I babysitting for both?"

Zoey said "I was going to go visit Katie in the hospital before she woke up. That why I need someone to baby-sit. Michael you are a life saver thank you. Now Chase and I can go check on our daughter."

Michael said "Zoey I not sure that Chase would let me in the house. I think he's still mad at me. I'll help you but Chase can't know that I'm here. I want to be friends but I screwed up big time. What will it take to get Chase to be my friend again? I miss him so much Zoey that it's hard to forget it."

Zoey said "Chase is so worried about Katie I don't think he would be so quick to turn away help. I don't think he is still mad at you. If he was I don't think he would have let me call you. Chase can be thick headed but he's not cruel or heartless. He is willing to forgive if the person he's mad at makes an honest effort to fix things."

Zoey hung up the phone and ran to Chase crying. Chase hugged Zoey close and asked "what's wrong did Lola quit or something? Talk to me please I want to know what's wrong."

Zoey sniffed and said "Chase I just talked to Michael and Lola didn't come home last night. Michael is going to baby-sit. I'm worried about her Michael called the police and they are running an investigation. Michael doesn't know why her phone would be disconnected. Lola always keeps her phone charged and on her at all times."

Chase said "after that stunt he pulled during our bet you expect me to let him baby-sit?"

Zoey sighed and said "yes I expect you to let him baby-sit. He offered to help us so he could make it up to you. What kind of friends are we if we don't except his apology."

Chase said "alright but I'm only doing this for Katie. If he was really my friend he wouldn't have done this in the first place. I will forgive him after he truly shows that he's sorry."

Zoey sighed and said "Chase you never cease to amaze me. You say that Michael is your friend but you are willing to ditch him because he made a big mistake. I love you but some of the things you do annoy me. Michael is going to baby-sit whether you like it or not. Let's just go see Katie."

Chase and Zoey waited for Michael to show up. After he did Chase and Zoey drove to hospital to see their daughter when they got to the hospital a nurse that was in charge of taking care of babies asked to speak to them. The woman had a kind smile and her eyes were full of hope. Chase was very optimistic about what she had to tell them.

Zoey asked "Nurse Amy what is going on with Katie. We are worried about her I was wondering if my husband could go in and hold her."

The nurse said "that's fine just don't wake her up. I had a hard time getting her to go to sleep last night. That's probably why her fever is up so high still."

Zoey said "Chase go in and hold your little girl. I know that she's a daddy's girl and I'm ok with that. I was a daddy's girl myself Chase. I want to see her to but you are really the parent that she feel's closer to."

The nurse led Chase into the room that Katie was sleeping in. Chase knelt on the floor and touched his daughter's cheek. Katie started to stir but she didn't wake up. She seemed to know that it was her dad.

Chase whispered "Katie thank god you're ok. You are my little girl I love you so much. I know that Nicole was a miracle but you are my baby girl."

Katie woke up when Chase stood up to leave. She grabbed his hand and would let go. When Chase pried his fingers out of her grip she started to cry. Chase didn't want to leave but he couldn't stay there all night. Instead Chase kissed her cheek and gave her a hug.

Chase went out into the hall to let Zoey know that she could go see her daughter. When Zoey entered the room Katie started to cry. Zoey picked Katie up and rocked her then she sang a soothing lullaby. Katie snuggled into Zoey's chest and fell asleep.

Zoey placed Katie in the crib and left the room. Then she went to find the nurse. She wanted to know if her daughter was going to be able to come home tomorrow.

Nurse Amy was talking to Chase when Zoey walked into the waiting room. Chase and the nurse stopped talking when Zoey came into the room. Zoey sat down in a chair across from Chase. She wanted to know what was going on with her baby.

Chase said "Zoey how is she I'm worried about her. When I was in there with her she didn't want me to leave. She wrapped her tiny hand around me and wouldn't let go."

Zoey said "Chase she's less then a year old. She's scared she turned to you for comfort. That's what babies' do they turn to the people who the trust when something frightens scares or hurts them. She is doing much better Chase. Katie fell asleep for me I think she might be able to come home tonight."

The nurse said "Katie will be able to come home tomorrow. Her fever is down and she is breathing normally. I can tell that she is a strong and healthy baby. I can also tell that she is well loved and protected."

Zoey and Chase smiled at each other. They were happy to hear that Katie would be alright but they were worried about Lola. Chase could tell that Zoey was concerned. He put his arm around her and squeezed her shoulder.

Nurse Amy sighed and said "visiting hours are over Mr. and Mrs. Matthews. I promise that we'll call if anything changes in your daughter's condition. Have a good night and you can come pick Katie up first thing in the morning."

Zoey and Chase left the hospital and went home. When they walked in the door Michael was holding Nicole. Their Answering machine was blinking and Zoey went to check the messages. Chase said "Michael I'm sorry that I was so unreasonable. I just saw that what happened had hurt Zoey. I guess that the whole thing really shook me up. I really hope that we can still be friends. Thanks for all your help today man Zoey I couldn't have done this without you."

Michael wiped the tears from his eyes and said "Chase of course we're ok man. I helped out today because that's what friends are for. I just hope that Lola is ok I just made things right with her. It's not like her to just not come home even if she was baby-sitting. That's why I was hoping that she was with you."

Zoey hugged Michael and said "worrying is not going to find her. The police left a message that a young woman was found shot. She was still alive but she was unconscious."

Michael asked "did the woman have any Id. anything that could connect her to Lola a driver's license or an Id bracelet?"

Chase sighed and said "Michael everything is going to be fine. If this woman is Lola then they've found her. The only way to find out if this woman had any Id is to call the police and ask. They aren't going to give out that information in a message in case they call the wrong person."

Michael hugged Chase and Zoey and said "I just hope you guys are right. I told the truth but I still wasn't released from the pain of doing the wrong thing."

Chase said "I told Logan this Michael but I forgot to tell you. The truth doesn't always set you free. Even if it does things can still fall apart. Lola will be fine I promise Michael because she has friends like us. She knows that no matter what happens we will always love her."

Zoey wiped the tears from her eyes before she turned to face Chase. Chase saw her eyes shining and kissed her. Then Zoey said "Chase we have to tell Quinn. I don't think I can do this. This is just like when we thought that both of them had died on a plane crash."

Chase said "Zoey I know you're scared but everything will be ok. I'll call Quinn and Logan you just go relax. I think Nicole needs her diaper changed any way. I know that you love Nicole very much. Holding her helps you. She looks a lot like Nicole you must miss her so much."

Michael sighed and said "Nicole does look a lot like our friend. I miss her to sometimes I just can't think straight. I just hope that James and his children are doing ok. It must be very hard on those girls growing up without a mother."

Chase said "Michael don't worry about James. Focus on Lola the police need to know what she was wearing. Zoey just called them and they think it's her. The officer just needs to know what she was wearing when you last saw her."

Michael said "she was wearing a pair of bright green pants, a tan tank top, and sneakers."

Zoey said "the police said that the woman is Lola. She woke up at the hospital and wants to see you."

Chase said "that's great Zoe which hospital is she at? I think all of us should go she her now. She needs to know that all of her friends are here for her."

Zoey, Chase, and Michael drove to the hospital where Lola was. When they got there Michael went in to she her first. Lola was lying on her back with her eyes closed. Michael could tell that she was awake.

Lola grabbed his hand and held it tight. She said "Michael I'm so sorry. I didn't mean for this to happen. I just had to help Zoey I didn't want to scare you it just happened."

Michael said "Lola what do you mean? None of this was your fault. The important thing is that you're safe. I love you so much Lola. Do you remember anything about what happened last night?"

Lola said "I remember getting a phone call from Quinn's cell phone. She said she was in trouble. I remember ending up in the city. Then a strange woman grabbed and then shot me!"

Michael asked "did anything about the woman seem familiar? Her face, her voice, or what she was wearing would you be able to recognize this woman if you saw her again?"

Lola said "it was dark so I couldn't really see her face. I will never forget that voice. It sent chills down my spine. There was only one person at PCA that made me feel that way. What was the name of the girl that dated before Zoey that was a total control freak?"

Michael said "why the heck would Rebecca shoot you? She hated Zoey not you she would have no reason to attack you. Unless she knows that Chase won't stand for her hurting Zoey. The thought of the two of them being married might have caused her to go nuts. I know for a fact that Chase invited her to the wedding. He did it to show that there were no hard feelings. I guess that she can't take no for an answer."

Lola began to cry Michael hugged her close. Then Chase and Zoey walked into the room. Zoey hugged Lola tight. Chase pulled Zoey back then smiled at Lola. Lola wiped the tears from her eyes.

Lola said "Chase I know who attacked me. It was your crazy ex- girlfriend Rebecca! She just couldn't deal with the fact that you and Zoey were married. She knew that if she attacked Zoey they would automatically know it was her. So she attacked me thinking that she could get away with it. She just didn't count on the fact that I would recognize her voice."

Chase said "why did I invite that crazy woman to my wedding? I just wanted us to be able to be friends. Now I put my friend in danger. I'm the worst Zoey and Lola I'm so sorry."

Zoey said "no Chase you're the best. For once when that skunk bag did something you didn't defend her. I'm proud of you Chase and I love you very much."

Lola said "before you leave Chase I just want to say thank you for saving my life. I owe you and I can't thank you enough."

Chase said "Lola it was nothing. You're my best friend and anyone who hurts you will have to deal with me. We should probably go home so you can get some sleep. Get better soon Lola. My girls miss you especially Nicole you are their favorite baby-sitter.

After they left the room Zoey kissed Chase and started to cry. She had so many different feelings that she couldn't think. Chase didn't ask questions he just held her close. Usually Zoey felt safe when Chase's arms were around her. However what happened to Lola really shook her up. She wondered who Rebecca would attack next and if they would get away.

Chase was thinking the same thing. He felt that if he had never invited her to the wedding everything would be fine. He hated seeing Zoey so upset. It hurt him because he wanted to always be able to protect her. Now he was starting to see the cruel nature of Rebecca.

He was also realizing that like telling the truth breaking up with someone can't always set you free. He now knew that he was going to have to confront Rebecca before she hurt anyone else. What he didn't know was how close Rebecca was to attacking her next target. He also didn't know that Rebecca wasn't going to let this one get away.

Meanwhile Rebecca was hiding in the attic of Quinn and Logan's home. Rebecca wanted to kill Quinn she wanted to make her suffer. She hated Quinn because when ever she tried to hurt Zoey Quinn would stop her. Rebecca heard someone coming up the attic stairs. She loaded her shot gun and waited. Quinn was coming to get a bottle of wine for her and Logan. Rebecca pulled the trigger and hit Quinn in the neck. While Quinn lay on the floor gasping for air Rebecca stood over her. Logan heard the gun shot and ran upstairs.

Rebecca didn't have time to hide before Logan burst through the attic door. Logan saw Quinn lying on the ground with a gun shot wound in her neck. He called the police and they arrested Rebecca and took Quinn to the hospital.

Logan thought about what Rebecca had said before the police took her away. She had admitted to everything. Then right before they put the cuffs on she said I told truth isn't that supposed to set you free. Logan had felt the same way when Quinn got mad. Now he realized that the truth would only set you free if you aren't guilty. Logan got into his car and drove to the hospital praying that his wife would be ok.

When he got there he cursed the truth because since Quinn was not his wife he wasn't allowed to see her. Then thought he saw Nicole standing in front of him. Nicole looked the same as she had that day in the hospital. She hugged Logan and then told him to take care of Quinn.

When Logan looked again Zoey was standing next to him. He felt a cold shiver go down his spine. Zoey hugged him tears spilling from her eyes. She couldn't believe that Rebecca had done something again so soon. Logan sighed and said "Zoey Quinn is going to be ok. She has to be ok because I love her."

Chase had followed Zoey into the hospital. He saw Logan holding back tears. Zoey hadn't told him what had happened. She had just raced out of the house after Logan called. Chase had followed her to show that he was concerned.

Zoey saw Chase and ran to him. Then she sobbed "Quinn was shot by Rebecca. Thank god Logan called the police. Chase this has to stop I can't take it anymore! I won't go through the pain I felt when I lost Nicole."

Chase didn't know what to say. Zoey had never spoken to him like that before. He just held Zoey while she sobbed hard. Chase silently prayed that both Lola and Quinn would be alright. He knew that Zoey was right things had to go back to normal. He just didn't know how soon that they would get that way.


	5. What is normal anyway

What is normal any way

**What is normal any way?**

Zoey and Chase had gone home. Chase had managed to convince her that it would be best to go home. Tears still fell down her cheeks Chase held her close and told her that everything would be ok. Nothing he said worked though Zoey just sobbed harder.

Chase said "Zoey we're ok and Quinn and Lola will be fine. You had enough faith for both of us years ago when they were in that plane crash. Why is it that you can't believe me this time? Things will get back to normal I can promise you that. What I can't promise is how long it's going to take. Just hold on and be strong for them for all of us."

Zoey snapped "what is normal any way! Nothing in our lives has ever been normal Chase! Nothing has been what I call normal since I turned three years old."

Chase said "Zoey I can name a few things that have been normal for you Zoe. You have friends who are always willing to help you. You went to boarding school and met an amazing boyfriend. Now you have a perfect husband and beautiful children. Speaking of which we have to pick Katie up from the hospital tomorrow that is good news right."

Zoey smiled even though tears were still running down her cheeks. She had forgotten about Katie in the panic of her best friends getting shot. She had left Michael baby-sitting Nicole again even though Chase insisted that she should call James.

Chase kissed her and said "that's the Zoey that I married. I was afraid that I'd have to call a search party to look for you."

Zoey said "I'm just glad that I'm not going to lose Lola or Quinn. They are like my sisters. Chase is Nicole asleep yet? I would like to hold her before I go to bed. She acts a lot like her. Listen to me I'm talking crazy Nicole is my daughter why would she act like my best friend. Chase when I showed up at the hospital and hugged Logan he looked like he'd seen a ghost."

Chase said "Zoey Logan just had to see Quinn shot. That scared him and you. When people get scared they see things that aren't there. He probably thought that he saw Nicole when he saw you."

Zoey said "it did feel cold when we were in the waiting room. I heard her voice say take care of James. Is it at all possible that she was trying to speak to me or am I going crazy?"

Chase sighed and said "Zoe the dead can't talk to you. I think you feel sorry for James. I also think that you panicked when you heard about Quinn and wanted her to provide comfort for you. That is the only reason that you heard her voice."

Zoey said "so you think I'm going crazy? I can't believe this Chase I thought you loved me."

Chase said "Zoey you aren't crazy. You have just been through a lot these past few weeks. I love you so much and always will."

Zoey hugged Chase and kissed him. She was happy and wanted to trust him but she was unsure about things ever being normal again. Then Zoey heard Nicole crying. She ran upstairs and rocked her baby. Chase followed her and helped put his other daughter to bed.

Meanwhile James was putting his daughters to bed. Becky had stopped having nightmares and things were slowly getting back to normal. That night he was reading from Nicole's notebook again. Tears filled his eyes while he read the last page it read "**James my life hasn't been easy or fair. I'm writing this because the doctor says that I'm very sick. I haven't told you yet because what purpose would it serve. All it would do is upset you. The doctor says that I have nine months to live. I can't believe that I won't get to see my little girls grow up. I'm scared James I don't know what to do I love you. Tell Becky that she has my smile and my personality. Let all the girls know that I love them and will always watch over them. I've had this illness since I was a small child. It went away for awhile but then came back. I don't want you to worry about me. If anything happens I want you to take care of the kids. You are a great father and will be alright. After I'm gone read a page of this book to the girls every night. Before you get to the end it is important that they understand the truth won't always set you free. Even if I'd told you guys what was wrong I still would have past away. I love you and the girls very much please promise me you won't forget that."**

James sniffed and held his children close. He thought about the offer that Zoey made. She had offered a way for the girls to feel closer to their mother. The more he thought about it the more he felt it was the right thing to do.

Becky sobbed "Daddy why did mommy lie to us. If she was sick we should have helped her."

James said "no honey mommy didn't lie she just didn't want to scare us. Aunt Zoey has a way to make her not seem so far away. She going to have a dorm at the school she graduated from named after her. I'll call her first thing tomorrow morning now go to sleep."

In the morning James called Zoey and said "I thought about it and decided to take you up on that offer. I'll send the money over to Dean Rivers myself. I want the girls to see that I want them to remember their mom."

Zoey said "James Chase and I already paid for that. We knew that you wanted all of your children to go to PCA. The one thing you need to do though is pick out the dorm that will be named after her."

James said "thank you Zoey you and Chase shouldn't have done that. Now I'll have to pay you back. You don't know how much this will mean to the girls. There's something you need to know. Nicole knew that she was dieing she wrote a letter to me and told me that she had the illness since she was a child. I'm sorry that I sprung that on you after all that you and Chase had been through."

Zoey sobbed "James are you sure that she knew? I miss her so much that I can't think straight. I was her best friend I was sure she'd tell me if she was sick. I'm sorry James you must miss her a hundred times more than I do. She was your wife I don't have any good reason to be crying. All I lost was a friend you and your girls lost a wife and mother."

Then Chase came into the bedroom and wiped Zoey's tears away. He sat next to her and waited until she got off the phone. After she got off the phone Chase said "Zoey what's wrong with you. I've never seen you like this did James say something that upset you?"

Zoey sniffed and said with a shaking voice "yes he found a letter that Nicole wrote. She knew that she was dieing Chase. She wrote that it was an illness that she'd since she was a child. She was like my sister I loved her Chase. I don't want to forget her that's why I named our baby after her."

Chase said "Zoe you'll never forget her. She was a close friend to you. Seeing a picture of her got you through child birth. I don't think that any of us will ever forget her. Promise me that you'll relax. Rebecca is in jail and can't hurt us anymore. We have to go get Katie from the hospital."

Zoey wiped the tears from her eyes and got up. She couldn't wait to hold Katie in her arms. She smiled and said "Chase you and I have our own version of normal. Things at PCA were weird sometimes but that's why we loved it. I'm sorry that I said that my life hadn't been normal. It's just that I was taught normal was a perfect family where no one ever got sick and no dreams ever fell apart."

Chase said "forget that version of normal. It doesn't matter if you have a perfect family. Having a normal life means being with people who love you. Michael called and Lola is fine she's out of the hospital. I haven't heard anything from Logan yet. I'm sure that Quinn will be alright to."

Just then the phone rang Zoey answered it. Logan's voice came from the other end of the line. He sounded sad and scared Zoey held her breath while she waited for him to answer her. Finally Logan said "Quinn can't walk Zoey. Rebecca didn't kill her but now she can't walk. I asked the doctors and they said that there's nothing they can do. I'm scared Zoey. What ever happened to things getting back to normal? I love her Zoe and I feel kind of helpless right now."

Zoey said "Logan I'm going to let you talk to Chase. He can go over there and see her I'd come myself but we need to pick Katie up from the hospital. Tell Quinn everything will be ok. Logan here's Chase I'll talk to you and Quinn later."

Chase took the phone from Zoey and told Logan that he would be right over. After Chase hung up the phone he pulled Zoey close he didn't want to let her go. He was quiet for a long time. Then he said "I know I said that I'd be right over to help Logan but Katie needs me. She's my baby girl plus what are we going to do with Nicole? I don't want to leave my baby with a stranger. I thought that was one thing we both agreed on we have our friends watch the kids."

Zoey said "I guess we could call James and bring Nicole to his house. If that's ok with you Chase I know you love Nicole as much as I do."

Chase said "I have no problem with that. I just think that we need to have some common ground on at least one thing. We have different ideas on how to raise the kids but I thought we had both agreed that our friends should help baby-sit. I love you Zoe and tonight let's go out to dinner just the two of us. We haven't done that since the babies were born."

Zoey said "Chase I'm going to go get Katie and then take her and Nicole over to James's house. I think it would be good for him to play with the girls. It might help him forget what he read last night. I think it might have really upset him and his girls."

Chase said "Zoey my ex-girlfriend tried to kill two of my best friends. Now I found out that she paralyzed one of them. If you don't think that I'm a little on edge right now something's wrong with your brain!"

Zoey grabbed her coat and ran out of the room. Tears poured down her cheeks and landed on her shirt. This was the first fight she had with Chase in the three years they had been married. She ran upstairs and picked Nicole up in her arms. Chase hadn't talked to her like that since they were at PCA together.

She and Chase had an agreement that if they ever got mad at each other no matter how big or small the argument they weren't allowed to walk away from the situation. Zoey didn't care that she had broken that promise. She kissed Nicole on the cheek and walked out to the car. Zoey remembered that she had always relied on Chase to carry the babies while she drove.

She got out two baby seats and put them in the car. Then she put Nicole into one of the seats. She drove to hospital to get Katie tears still running down her cheeks. When she stopped at a red light and closed her eyes. Nicole made happy baby noises and poked Zoey in the arm.

When she reached the hospital Zoey carried Nicole in with her and got Katie. Katie didn't seem to recognize Zoey. As soon as Zoey picked her up Katie started to cry. Zoey said "hush little one its ok."

Nurse Amy came into the hall. She smiled at Zoey and said "Mrs. Matthews this is a guess but I think she misses her father. I thought Mr. Matthews said he was coming to get her."

Zoey said "we got into a little spat this morning. It's nothing really everything will be fine and normal when I go home tonight. My husband had to help a friend this morning he's missed his baby girl to."

Nurse Amy sighed and said "she won't stop crying until she sees him. I'll hold her until he gets here."

Zoey stepped outside and called Chase. Chase was sitting next to Quinn at the end of her bed. When he saw that Zoey was calling him he ignored it. He was very hurt by the fact that she ran away. He didn't mean to yell at her he was just upset about the whole Rebecca trying to kill his close friends thing. Quinn took Chase's hand and squeezed it hard. She seemed to know that something was wrong. She spoke gently and said "Chase what happened wasn't your fault. Tell me what's wrong with me. Logan won't look at me and he hasn't said a word to me since we got home."

Chase wiped the unshed tears away from his eyes. Then he took his hand out of her grip and said "you might never walk again. I thought that Logan would have told you already. I'm sorry Quinn I'm sorry that that Rebecca hurt you. She could have done a lot worse it's partially my fault. If I hadn't invited her to the wedding none of this would have happened."

Quinn snapped "Chase shut up please! None of this is your fault I don't want you blaming yourself I want you and Zoey to help me."

Then Quinn started to cry. She had always done things for herself but now she had to rely on Chase, Zoey, Michael, Lola, James, and worst of all she had to depend on Logan. Logan was having a hard time his father was sick. She often heard him crying in his sleep Quinn knew that the last thing that Logan needed was to have to take care of her.

Chase hugged Quinn gently and then said "it's going to be alright just take a deep breath and don't let him see you hurt. Look he's coming to see you now put a smile on your face and everything will be fine."

Quinn put on a smile for Logan and he hugged her. Logan sighed and asked "how are you feeling baby?"

Quinn said "my neck is a little sore but I'm ok. Let me just get up so I can kiss the person who saved my life last night."

Logan bit his tongue he didn't want to see Quinn fall but he knew that he couldn't stop her from getting up. Quinn put her hand on Chase's shoulder for balance and stood up. Logan was so happy he kissed her hard and grabbed her neck. Chase gently removed Logan's hands from Quinn's neck and steadied her.

Logan snapped "what in the name of god are you thinking Chase! Quinn was fine until you touched her! Why did you pull my hand off her? I was keeping her balance she didn't look like she was going to fall until you made me let go of her!"

Chase said "she lost a lot of blood when she was shot Logan. Grabbing her neck like that was not the brightest thing to do. She lost her balance because you were squeezing nerves. It is a wonderful thing that she is able to walk. She won't be able to if you keep pushing her too hard too fast."

Quinn said "Chase take your hand off my waist! I thought you had more respect for my relationship with Logan than that! Go home and don't talk to me until you can respect me! What is Zoey going to think about this when she finds out? Goodnight Chase I hope that you'll think about the way things used to be and if you want things to go back to normal!

Chase slowly took his hand off of Quinn's waist and said "Quinn I was trying to steady you. If I hadn't put my hand on your waist you would have fallen. I was trying to help you. I don't understand why you can't trust me Quinn."

Logan said "Quinn stop it Chase explained to me why he put his hand on you and pulled mine off. He's telling you the truth and he's my best friend."

Quinn sobbed "Logan I thought you loved me and you're just going to stand there and let him fool around like this! I can't deal with this right now I'm going for a walk. Logan I'll be home late. Please don't wait up for me I don't know when I'll get home.

Logan said "Quinn you got shot last night. I think you just need to rest and think things through. Stay home and I'll make you some tea and we can talk about this."

Chase said "Logan I should probably go home. I have to see Katie she's coming home from the hospital tonight. I missed her so much Logan I can't wait to hold her in my arms and put her to bed every night. Everything will go back to normal I can feel it trust me Logan."

Logan snapped "Chase you said that things would go back to normal weeks ago! I just don't understand what normal is anymore. Things were so much easier when we went to school at PCA. I just don't get it Chase if Rebecca was upset about the breakup why didn't she just talk to you. She acted like a child and wanted revenge for something that Zoey, Quinn, and Lola have no control over."

Chase said "Rebecca is a grown woman with the emotions of a child. She is still on love with me even though I'm married. I don't think that she will ever truly accept the fact that I don't love her anymore. In fact I think that she wasn't trying to get back at Zoey, Quinn, or Lola. I think that she was trying to get back at me, you, and Michael."

Logan said "Chase I can see why she would want revenge against you. What I don't see is why she wanted revenge against me or Michael we had nothing to do with the break up. She attacked my future wife for no reason I don't care if she's crazy or not Chase I will never forgive her for this ever!"

Chase said "Logan calm down Quinn is fine ands so is Lola. Rebecca is in jail and can't hurt them again. I promise that Zoey won't go mad if anything happens to our relationship. I don't think it's fair to call her crazy without talking to her first. We need to hear her side of the story so we can understand why she did this."

Quinn had fallen asleep while Logan and Chase were talking. Logan tucked her into bed and turn out her light. Unshed tears burned in Logan's eyes he never thought that Rebecca would try to hurt anyone but Zoey and Chase. He was very worried about his father and now he had to take care of Quinn on top of it.

He tried to tell Chase that everything was fine but Chase wasn't falling for it. Logan wanted Chase to go home and take care of Zoey and his children. Chase didn't want to leave Logan by himself when Quinn was hurt. He finally gave in and said "Chase just call Zoey and let her know that you're staying the night. You're a great friend thank you for your help today."

Chase went to call Zoey and saw a message from her. When he checked it tears ran down his cheeks. Zoey hadn't been able to take Katie home because he wasn't with her. Zoey sounded like she was crying in the message. He wanted to hold her and Katie close. It was his fault that Zoey was upset and that his daughter wasn't at home.

Chase said "Logan I can't stay tonight but if you need anything don't hesitate to call me. I have to fix things with Zoey. She called and I didn't answer because of this she couldn't bring Katie home tonight. I didn't think that this would happen I knew that Katie was a daddy's girl but I thought she would remember Zoey. She didn't and the nurse would let Zoey take her home unless I was there with her. I feel like a complete and total idiot Zoey and the girls mean the world to me but I chose to help my friends instead."

Logan smiled at Chase and said "you are far from being an idiot. Quinn and I needed you I know that she overreacted when you stopped her from falling. Chase you are the best friend a guy could have. Good talk to Zoey she'll understand that you made a mistake. I hope that you two can stop fighting over little things. If you guys can't then Quinn and I are doomed. What were you doing anyway that you didn't answer your phone when she called?"

Chase said "I was comforting Quinn. She was having a hard time after I told her she might not be able to walk. I was surprised that you didn't tell her yourself before you called and talked to me and Zoey. I better get going tell Quinn to feel better soon we all love her especially Zoey and Lola. Zoey was in tears after she talked to you. Do Michael and Lola know yet that Quinn is half way out of the woods yet?"

Logan said "no they have no clue that she was even shot. I wasn't going to have Michael tell Lola that her best friend had been shot. The last thing Lola needs is to be worried about Quinn. She needs to get better and the only way she will is if she completely relaxes."

Chase said "Logan I really hate to bring this up but we need to talk to Rebecca. I'm not asking you to forgive her because I know that it won't be easy for you right away."

Logan said "fine Chase I'll listen to that Skunk bag tell us another sob story but I will not forgive her. She almost paralyzed Quinn and that is unforgivable you understand right. I just can't forget what that slut did to Zoey, Quinn, and Lola."

Chase said "I'm finally ready to forgive her for hurting Zoey. My grandmother always told me that forgiveness is the first step to healing. I'm tired of being angry that's why I invited her to the wedding. I hope that by figuring out why she hurt Quinn, Lola, and Zoey things will finally go back to normal."

Logan said "she won't talk you know that right. I'll go with you but it's not going to help make things right by talking. Being normal is glorified more than it should be just like fighting and war. I was tired of being normal but it's what you really want fine I'll help you."


	6. Rebecca's story

Rebecca's story

**Rebecca's story**

Chase and Logan went to the prison where Rebecca was being held. Logan was angry but Chase insisted that talking was the best way to settle things. A guard took them down the hall to her jail cell. When the guard opened the cell door and Rebecca saw Chase she started to cry.

Chase's heart went out to her he hated seeing girls cry. Logan just became angrier he didn't trust her and no tears were going to change that. Chase tried to give Rebecca a hug but she pushed him away.

After Rebecca had stopped crying she said "I'm so sorry Chase you and Logan must hate me for all the things I've done. I just wanted you to love me and I thought that if I scared you that you would love me."

Logan snapped "shut up Chase might swerved by some sob story but I'm not! You hurt our friends and that's something I'll never forgive you for ever!"

Chase said "Logan stop it can't you see she's upset? Rebecca I came here to get your side of the story. I want to stop the fighting because all its doing is hurting the people we love."

Rebecca said "when you broke up with me Chase I was really hurt. I kept trying to tell myself that you didn't mean it but everyday I saw you grow more in love with Zoey. Then when I finally managed to heal and forget everything you invited me to your wedding! That reopened all of the old wounds and I wanted revenge even more. This time though only hurting Zoey wasn't good enough I had to make the people she cared about suffer so she would know what it was like to be alone."

Chase said "Rebecca I'm sorry but if you were really that upset you should have talked to me. I want you to know that I forgive you even though you hurt the people I care about."

Logan said "you're just going to let this go like that? She almost killed Quinn and Lola I can't believe that you're letting go of your anger this fast."

Chase said "Logan I'm ready to forgive her because I've seen what fighting does. I'm not going to make you forgive her but you should."

Rebecca said "Chase could you please tell Zoey that I'm sorry. I want to make things up to her. I know that I've been a real pain Chase but it means a lot that you were willing to listen to me. After all that's happened I think I'm ready to accept that you and Zoey will always love each other. I just hope that there is some like you out there for me because Zoey is lucky to have you."

Chase said "Logan and I should go Rebecca. I glad that you understand and hopefully we can remain friends."

After Logan and Chase left the prison Logan said "Chase how could you forgive her? She hurt our friends. I thought you cared about Quinn and Lola more than that. I guess I was wrong about you."

Chase said "don't do this man you promised that you'd be supportive. I just want to make peace with her so that when she is released from jail we don't have any problems."

Logan said "are you sure that everything will go back to normal? If you're sure I promise that the next time we go see her I will forgive her."

Chase said "things will go back to normal. I'm just not sure how long it will take Logan. Trust me on this when I say that everything will be ok."

Mean while Zoey was talking to Quinn trying to figure out where Chase and Logan were. Chase was supposed to go with her to pick Katie up from the hospital earlier that morning. Zoey was worried about him because he hadn't answered his cell phone all day. Quinn kept telling Zoey to calm down and that he would call her.

Zoey said "Quinn why do I feel like something is wrong? I know that you're right but at the same time I think the reason he didn't tell me where he was going is that it was dangerous. Did Logan tell you where he was going or did he and Chase sneak out together without telling us?"

Quinn said "Zoey Logan did mention something about Chase making him talk to Rebecca. He also said that Chase thought that if he found out her side of the story everything would be normal again."

Zoey sobbed "Quinn If he went to talk to that Skunk Bag he could be in real danger. I can't lose him I love him."

Quinn hugged her friend and said "Zoe I'm sure he's fine the only reason Chase hasn't called is he's afraid of your reaction. When he comes home tonight I want you to act like you are ok with him talking to her."

Zoey said "Quinn if she wanted revenge against you and Lola who've done nothing to her I can't imagine what she would do to Chase. I'm going to try calling one more time and if he doesn't answer I'm going to look for him."

Quinn sighed she knew that Zoey wouldn't like it if she said that Chase had gone out to see Rebecca. What she hadn't expected was for Zoey to insist on going to look for him. Thank god that when Zoey called the last time Chase answered. Zoey snapped "where were you! I've been sitting with Quinn worried sick about you because you can't be bothered to answer your phone!"

Chase said "Zoey I had to talk to her. This whole thing happened because I didn't listen to her. I thought that by listening to her side of the story I could change things for the better."

Zoey said "why didn't you just tell me? I would have understood Chase you should know that by now. I was just worried about you. I love you Chase hurry home so we can pick up Katie from the hospital."

Chase said "alright Zoey I'll be home in a few minutes. I'm sorry I scared you the next time something like this happens I'll call I promise."

When Chase and Zoey got to the hospital the nurse was holding Katie. She placed her in Chase's arms and then pulled Zoey aside to talk to her privately. The nurse said "your baby is doing much better. She just is becoming more of a daddy's girl. That wouldn't be a problem if she had let you hold her last night."

Zoey said "she was probably just tired. I'm sure that if I held her now she'd remember me."

The nurse said "of course it's normal for new mothers to struggle with accepting this. I'll let you go back to your husband and daughter Mrs. Matthews."

Zoey walked back over to Chase she sighed and held back tears. Chase handed Katie to her after wiping her tears away. Then he asked "Zoe what did that Nurse tell you? Katie is going to be alright I promise."

Zoey said "last night she didn't let me hold her so the nurse doesn't think I'm her mother."

Chase said "Zoey Katie was probably just tired. Here take her from me now and see what she does."

Chase handed Katie to Zoey and she snuggled deeper into her chest. Zoey breathed softly and held her close."

Chase said "see Zoe she remembers you. Now let's just go home."

Zoey and Chase left the hospital holding Katie in her arms. That was when Zoey realized that Katie was her little girl and nothing would ever change that. When they got home Zoey saw Michael crying.

Zoey asked "Michael what's wrong? Is Lola ok or did something go wrong?"

Michael said "Lola is expecting I gave in and had sex with her. I only did it one time I didn't think it would happen."

Chase said "how long has she been pregnant?"

Michael said "she's been pregnant for at least four weeks now. She just had the guts to tell me tonight. The good news is the doctors say she will be fine. They were actually wrong about her not being able to survive child birth."

Zoey said "Michael it's great that she's going to be ok! You scared us for a minute I was afraid that you were going to tell us that she might die."

Chase said "wait a minute Zoey why wouldn't Lola tell any of us that she was pregnant if she was going to be ok?"

Michael said "I was wondering the same thing but I trust Lola's judgment on this. I know that if she actually thought something would hurt her she would stop."

Zoey said "Michael Lola is a risk taker. She does things without thinking especially if the result is something that she really wants."

Chase put his arm around Michael and said "where is Lola now Zoey and I need to know if we can still count on her to baby-sit for us? If she can't we understand because it's great that you can finally have a child of your own."

Michael said "right now she can still baby-sit. I just don't want her over doing it so she would only be working until 9:00 pm. Just have James take over at 9:00 if you're going to be working late."

Zoey said "I'm sorry but that isn't going to work. James is taking care of five children by himself. I won't force him to help with mine to. Tell Lola that I'm sorry but she's fired I just can't ask James for help anytime she can't."

Chase said "Zoey you are being really insensitive. Michael of course we still want Lola to baby-sit. I'm sure that my boss will understand if I can't work overtime. This is really important to you and Lola so if you guys need anything from us just let us know and will be right there."

Zoey said "Chase I don't want Lola baby-sitting for us anymore. It's just not healthy for her to be working so hard. I know this might seem mean but it's really for the best."

Michael said "Chase she's right I told Lola I didn't want her baby-sitting anymore but she said that she needed your girls. That's why I agreed to let her keep working for you. However it is your choice and I will back you up no matter what."

Zoey said "Michael I hate to do this but- I just have to- you know?"

Michael said "yeah I know you have to fire her. I said I'd understand but I didn't say I'd tell her for you. This is going to break her little heart and I promised myself that I wouldn't do that again."

Chase said "so you would rather that she hated us instead of you? That's really low man I thought we were friends."

Michael said "it's not that it's just she needs to think that I'm on her side. If she's going to be having a baby we can't be fighting. I hoped that you and Zoey would understand that."

Zoey and Chase sighed as they watched Michael leave. They felt guilty but they didn't know what else to do. Zoey took Katie and carried her upstairs to bed. Then she sat down in her rocking chair to watch her daughters sleep.

Meanwhile James was putting his girls to bed. For the first time in weeks he felt like everything was going to be ok. He had taken his girls to see the dorm that was named after Nicole. He had to admit that Zoey had been right. Becky, Laura, Ann, and Lisa missed their mom a lot less.

Becky stirred in her sleep and said "Daddy is mommy proud of me for being brave?"

James said "your mom is very proud of all of us. We've proved to Aunt Zoey and Uncle Chase that we don't need a nanny."

Becky asked "Daddy is a nanny a bad thing? Aunt Zoey has Aunt Lola watch her kids I think that it makes her the nanny."

James said "having a nanny isn't a bad thing. I just didn't want people thinking that I couldn't handle you girls on my own. It's been a struggle but we've done it and I'm very proud of you. All of you girls had to grow up very fast and help me take care of Marissa."

Becky lay down in bed and closed her eyes again. Then James turned out the light and watched his angles sleep. After He was sure that all the night lights were lit he kissed his girls goodnight and left the room.


	7. holding on is sometimes harder than lett

Holding on is sometimes harder than letting go

**Holding on is sometimes harder than letting go**

The next day Zoey was getting ready for work when she heard the doorbell ring. She had been dreading talking to Lola but Chase told her to get it over with. Zoey tried to smile when she came down stairs in her bathrobe and saw Lola standing outside.

Lola said "hey Zoe that's not your normal happy face. You're hiding something from me aren't you? Zoey tell me what's going on. Are the girls all right or is Katie still in the hospital?"

Zoey said "Lola Michael told us the good news last night! You are finally going to have a child your own. I'm so happy for you Lola is Michael still going to let you work for us?"

Lola said "that's what I'm here for just tell me when you're coming home tonight."

Zoey said "Lola I forgot to tell you Chase took the week off. That means we won't need you this week."

Lola started to cry and Zoey put her arm around her. Lola sniffed and yelled "this is because I'm pregnant isn't it! I didn't think that it would matter to you but I guess I was wrong! Michael said that you probably wouldn't want me working anymore! I told him that you wouldn't do that to me because you and Chase are my best friends. Goodbye Zoey I'm done talking to you!"

Zoey watched her friend walk away tears flowing from her eyes. Chase came from upstairs and said "Zoe what happened did you tell Lola? Don't tell me she took it the wrong way. Don't worry about it just give her a couple of days to calm down and I'm sure she'll see that it was for the best."

Zoey sobbed "Chase you don't get it. I didn't tell her the truth. I said that we didn't need her for a week. She figured it out herself that I was firing her and now she won't talk to me."

Chase sighed and was quiet for a long time. He thought that Lola would understand if she was given time. On the other hand Zoey hadn't told her the truth and that probably made it harder for her to accept.

Zoey laid her head on Chase's shoulder and sobbed until she fell asleep. Chase carried her inside and crawled into bed beside her. He didn't wake her up because he knew that she didn't feel like going to work today.

When Zoey woke up Chase was no longer beside her. She found a note on her bedside table saying that he had gone to talk to Lola. Zoey prayed to god that Lola would listen to Chase. She wanted everything to be alright again but she didn't think it would happen now.

Meanwhile Logan and Quinn were talking about their wedding. Logan loved Quinn very much but she wanted things that he couldn't afford right now. Quinn wanted a fancy white dress with real pearls sewn onto the fabric. What Logan hadn't told Quinn was that he'd lost his job.

Quinn said "Logan every time I ask you if you've put in the order for my dress you either say lets talk about something else or change the subject off the wedding entirely. Logan baby is there something you're not telling me? If you love me you'll tell me the truth about this."

Logan sighed and said "Quinn there's nothing wrong. I just think that we have more important things to think about. I don't think the dress is the most important part of the wedding. I think that first we need to decide if we're going to be getting married in the spring, summer, or fall. I also think that we should decide if we're getting married in a church or not."

Quinn said "Logan did you even figure out what it's going to cost to get the pearls sewn on? You said that everyone in your family has had a dress with pearls. I don't want to be any different. I love you baby you can tell me anything."

Logan said "baby something came up two months ago. I didn't tell you before because I thought a small wedding would be ok. I lost my job two months ago when my father's company went under. I thought we'd be ok but the crash hit our standard of living really hard. I'm sorry but some things are going to have to change and our wedding is going to be pushed back another year."

Quinn started to cry and Logan hugged her. After she stopped crying she said "I figured that something like this had happened. I just kept holding on to the idea of having a dress with pearls because that nothing had changed."

Logan said "I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner. I thought that if you found out that we were broke you wouldn't love me anymore. I was really stupid Quinn and I hope you can forgive me. I now understand that trying to live like nothing has changed is a lot harder then just letting go of the things you can't afford. I love you so much Quinn and nothing is going to change that."

Quinn said "Logan I know that. I think we can still get married in six months if instead of holding it in a church we hold it in our backyard. We can also write our own vows like your parents did instead of me wearing a dress with pearls."

Logan said "Quinn I want you to wear my mother's wedding dress. This way you can have a dress with pearls just like she did. Quinn thank you for understanding the money issue."

Logan smiled at Quinn and kissed her. Then he said "Quinn my dad told me that not being rich would be good for me. He said it would teach me that I can't always by a woman's love. I was upset before but now that I see you still love me everything will be fine."

Quinn said "how is your dad feeling? I know that you've been worried about him recently because he had a stroke. Is he doing better or did he pass away?"

Logan said "my dad was released from the hospital last week. He's fine but he's going to have to move in with us. He has no feeling left in the right side of his body. He also can't walk but he's a tough guy so he'll be alright."

Quinn said "Logan why didn't you tell me? I was worried that he'd passed away or something. I'm glad that he's ok Logan lets go pick him up and have dinner to celebrate."

Logan frowned and said "we'll have to eat at home. I can't afford to go to a nice restaurant. I'm sorry Quinn but like I said some things will have to change."

Quinn said "it doesn't have to be a fancy place Logan. I just want to have dinner with your dad. I know he wasn't around much when you were growing up but you should still get to know him."

Logan put his head in his hands it had nothing to do with money. He knew that his dad didn't approve of Quinn and was trying to spare her feelings. It annoyed him that he let his father's opinion of him control his life. He spent his whole high school life trying to make his father proud of him.

Later that night Logan and Quinn were sitting at a restaurant with Logan's father. Mr. Reese frowned at Quinn and gave Logan a dark look. Logan said "dad Quinn and I are getting married. If you are going to be living with us then you need to accept that. Quinn isn't a rich girl but I don't care anymore."

Quinn sighed it was important that Logan's father liked her. Logan's love wasn't enough any more. She said "Logan babe I think we should leave. It's getting late and I want to set up a place for your dad to sleep."

Logan said "Quinn I want to talk to you alone for just a minute. Dad we're paying for dinner."

Logan took Quinn outside and asked "what's bothering you? I thought you said it didn't matter what my dad thought."

Quinn said "Logan stop please it's just not worth it. I have to face the facts that this isn't going to work. I love you but your dad doesn't like me."

Logan sighed he couldn't believe that Quinn was giving up. Tears filled his eyes and he ran out of the restaurant. Quinn wanted to run after him but his dad grabbed her arm. Quinn put her head in her hands and Screamed.

Mr. Reese said "Quinn my boy will come back. He loves you so much that he can't live without you."

Quinn picked her head up and said "I have to let go because holding on is too hard. Logan promised me that we would make it through the storm. He lied though because we didn't even make it through the wind."

Mr. Reese said "Logan has moments when he falls apart and thinks he has nothing left. During those times the best thing we can do for him is to just let go. If you hold on he tends to push you away. After awhile those feelings will pass and he will realize we both love him."

Quinn paid for the food and left the restaurant. She couldn't believe that Logan sometimes fell apart. He had always seemed so strong at school she knew that graduation would change a lot of things but she always hoped that they'd be for the better. Quinn now realized that it was time to let go of the past. She also knew that holding on was just too hard.


End file.
